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RRJKR's avatar

Mail in ballots are perhaps the safest form. Every vote is supported by a physical document. Additionally any discrepancies can be properly and easily addressed. A voter could also be contacted personally to resolve any inconsistency or question. The election results do not need be announced within an hour or two after the polls close. I have not problem with allowing 30 days for ballots to be tabulated with absolute unquestionable accuracy.

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techwriter35's avatar

Ohio need to get out and vote

Vivek Ramaswamy is another extremist. He is a billionaire that does not care about all people. He is a  Hindutva supremist that represents a convergence of ideologies that prioritize nationalism and exclusion over the values of inclusivity and diversity that are foundational to our society. The Hindutva movement, which advocates for Hindu nationalism, is finding common ground with the MAGA agenda, raising significant concerns about the implications for marginalized communities in America. This alliance not only threatens the progress we have made toward equality and justice but also risks amplifying voices that seek to divide rather than unite. Trump automatons and devoted MAGA acolytes are fervently defending the opulent privileges of billionaires, willing to sacrifice everything for a cause they will never truly belong to. He is a billionaire that will never serve the people of this country. Get out and vote and don’t let this man take office. He is not good for this country. The funny thing about all of this is when the white guys in power finish using him, he will be out and ruined.

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Ward From Cali's avatar

"Remember, the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes."

That's kinda the opposite of the argument Trump and his insurrection Toadies were making when they were trying to get red Legislatures to simply appoint new, pro-Trump Electors in 2020, isn't it?

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AuditorTrap's avatar

Trump’s goal isn’t to eliminate mail-in voting and voting machines. It’s just the beginning of discrediting the election before it happens to give a pretext to the GOP for refusing to certify the election, seat the new congress and hand over the gavel when they get their asses handed to them. They will not give up power voluntarily. At that point you can call time of death of our democracy.

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Coffee Envy's avatar

For those who might believe that paper ballots are infallible, you might want to talk to Al Gore. Because of hanging chads from paper ballots during the 2000 presidential election in Florida, Al lost to Bush by about 300 votes. Imagine voting in that election but because we are human, some of the square holes didn’t get punched all the way through. Then the Supreme Court voted 5-4 along party lines and ordered the examination of paper ballots with hanging chads, or other marks that never punched the chads out, to stop, and certify the Florida election results. So the candidate who received a half million less national votes became president, because it came down to using paper ballots in Florida.

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"M"'s avatar

"Because of hanging chads from paper ballots during the 2000 presidential election in Florida, Al lost to Bush by about 300 votes."

Remember to tell everyone the role of Roger Stone (yes, THAT Roger Stone, who was a convicted felon until Donald Trump pardoned him) and his Brooks Brothers Rioters who disrupted the Florida count in order to give the Rehnquist-led SCOTUS -- and the Bush legal team that included Beer KKKavanaugh -- time to convene and do their thing and give us that hideous ruling that really was our generation's first hint of "Instead of lose fair and square, Confederate Republicans will change the rules literally every time"

... because too many people didn't believe they'd actually do that, just like they "didn't actually believe" Elon's so-called "salute" was a Nazi salute EVEN AFTER THE GERMANS TOLD THEM WHAT IT WAS.

It's the wilful denial in the larger part of the socio-dominant population that gives the Confederates the space to maneuver.

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Erisian's avatar

(IDK if this has been brought up already.)

The Fulvous Fuckwad makes it awfully hard to not think he's Vladimir Vladimirovich's bitch when he pulls shit like this (his hissy fit over mail-in voting is chump change since it likely has no chance to happen compared to this which did happen):

> "WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has interrupted his talks in Washington with European leaders to call Russian President Vladimir Putin, an EU diplomat told Reuters on Monday.

The talks are due to resume after the call, which Trump had initially said would take place after he consulted with European leaders, added the diplomat." https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-interrupts-talks-with-european-leaders-call-putin-says-eu-diplomat-2025-08-18/

The talks were to resume... after the Deep Saffron Dipstick had a back and forth with Vlad on the red phone to get marching orders based on discussions up until the "break." Given what's happened just since Friday, any non-cultists must be thinking we have a Russian asset in the Oval Office. The Halloween Orange Hemorrhoid might not have been directly with the "Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax" but there's no way he can convince me that he isn't Putin's tool (see: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tool)

fnord

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Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Today is 8/18/24 (Monday)

🍨 Bad Poetry Day

🍨 Discovery Day

🇮🇩 Indonesia Constitution Day

🇻🇳 Long Tan Day

🍨 National Couple's Day

🍨 National Fajita Day

🍨 National Ice Cream Pie Day

🍨 National Mail Order Catalog Day

🍨 Never Give Up Day

🍨 Pinot Noir Day

🍨 Serendipity Day

🍨 World Breast Cancer Research Day

🍨 First Day of Contact Lens Health Week

🌘 On this day the Moon will be in a Waning Crescent phase. This phase is best viewed just before the sunrise in the western sky. In this phase the Moon’s illumination is growing smaller each day until the New Moon.

Phase: Waning Crescent

Illumination: 23%

Moon Age: 24.82 days

Moon Angle: 0.54

Moon Distance: 368,449.22 km

Sun Angle: 0.53

Sun Distance: 151,395,941.43 km

End of the world according to: The Amazing Criswell, a psychic well known for predictions (1999).

Today in History: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1973), First Black Student to Graduate from the University of Mississippi (1963), Women's Right to Vote Ratified (1920), Lost Colony of Roanoke Found Empty (1590), First Recorded Climb of Mt. Whitney (1873), First Mail-Order Catalog Issued (1872), Mars’ Moon Phobos Discovered (1877)

Today's birthdays: Edward Norton, Carol Kane, Isabella Rossellini, Roger Ebert, Sir Paul McCartney, Margaret Gorman (First Miss America), Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Madeleine Stowe, Patrick Swayze, Martin Mull, Robert Redford, Rosalynn Carter, Shelley Winters, Meriwether Lewis, Virginia Dare (First Child Born in North America to English Parents, Disappeared with the Lost Colony of Roanoke)

Today's deaths: B.F. Skinner, André-Jacques Garnerin, Anita Loos (Wrote Gentleman Prefer Blondes), Ralph Byrd, Walter Percy Chrysler

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Jude's avatar

And active military members vote by mail (of necessity.)

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simpledinosaur's avatar

My take on this is: Trump wants solely in-person voting because his ICE Nazi stormtroopers will be able to intimidate and harass "the wrong people" who show up to vote, and ensure that "the right people" get to vote. This latter group (the fascists, I mean) will feel empowered to show up because they will know that the ICE Nazis are on their side. It's a lot harder to intimidate someone who can just mail in their ballot.

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BlueSpot's avatar

It's a good thing that the President has no role to play in our elections. It's all up to Congress and the states. Trump can sign all of the E/Os he wants, and still have no impact on how elections are run.

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simpledinosaur's avatar

Well, I wish that were entirely the case. Technically, it is true -- American elections are run locally. But sending armed guards to "oversee" the voting is what Trump is most likely going to do. And that DOES affect the electoral process. Quite a lot, I should think.

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"M"'s avatar

"Quite a lot, I should think."

It's why all the consent decrees were in place in voting locations that were prone to doing that.

And that's one of the reasons that Sham Blondi's DOJ has quietly removed so many of those consent decrees

https://www.contrabandcamp.com/p/kristen-clarke-protected-black-america

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simpledinosaur's avatar

Yes. Virtually everything Trump and his “helpers” are doing seems part of an overall strategy, and it all gravitates towards a fascist takeover, sooner rather than later. Now that they are messing with the elections, the desired outcome is about as clear as it can be.

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Zyxomma's avatar

Ta, Gary. May they reap the whirlwind.

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"M"'s avatar

I hope they will

I'm less sure than I used to be -- as I, like MVP Harris, did not expect THIS degree of capitulation

https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-throws-giant-tantrum-over-mail/comment/146874946

And then there's that whole nasty question of refusal to certify

based on the sowing of doubt that has no basis other than racism and lies

https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-throws-giant-tantrum-over-mail/comment/146852670

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beb's avatar

I'm not fond of paperless voting machines, it's hard to do a hand count when there are no ballots to count. Michigan uses a paper ballot where you fill an oval next to the candidate and a tabulator counts the ballots. If there is a dispute the ballots can then be hand counted.

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Shorterten's avatar

In MN, we use optical scanners, too, and the relevant clerk for the voters of a given jusrisdiction conducts a random precinct hand count to see if the machine vote tallies. Having been an election judge here before I became too disabled to participate, I can tell you there are umpteen checks and balances. Mail in ballots are accepted based on the review of two judges from different parties. Every step of the voting process is overseen by judges of different parties. I was proud to be a party to the fair counting of ballots.

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Regret's avatar

Optical scanners are fine, they're machines, not computers. but the moment there's wi-fi involved I don't trust it anymore.

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Parakeetist's avatar

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/how-refugees-are-greening-the-edge-of-the-sahara/vi-AA1HgklK?ocid=socialshare

Refugees from Sudan war flee to Chad, are given land, start to farm it.

This is an incredible story. A tiny bit of hope?

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Sarah Last's avatar

I think Signor Fred Lollipop McPantysniff works better as a dog’s name than a human one. I also think ducks would look better in Bermuda shorts than in long pants.

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Always Be Ithacating's avatar

It's still makes me laugh that 60 years ago there was a popular hairstyle universally known as a Duck's Ass (DA).

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Pauly2coffees's avatar

Pedal pushers or GTFO.

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Always Be Ithacating's avatar

This is a well-reasoned argument, and irrefutable!

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Johan Grillo's avatar

He's completely lost whatever brain cells he had. THIS HAS TO BE THE END OF THIS NONSENSE RIGHT?

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"M"'s avatar

I don't know why you would believe or think this is the end

It's the Heritage Foundation and all the EOB enablers pushing him to promote these things -- I mean, it was JV Dunce in the Midwest harassing Indiana and Ohio and Missouri state reps -- and if you don't know or believe this is part of a much larger (and more sinister) design, frankly you haven't been paying enough attention

https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-throws-giant-tantrum-over-mail/comment/146875172

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